The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) has released its annual safety report, which highlights a new issue found during the recent Boeing Starliner mission and questions the agency’s need for the spacecraft in the future. The report commended NASA’s handling of last year’s beleaguered Starliner mission but noted that the agency needs to better define roles and responsibilities within the Commercial Crew Program.
The ASAP report revealed that despite initial helium leaks and thruster failures on its propulsion system, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft ultimately performed well in undocking, deorbiting, and landing sequences. However, a new issue was discovered during reentry – an additional mono propellant thruster failure in the crew module.
The report warned that this would have significantly increased the risk had the crew been on board. NASA leadership had directed a post-mission review of the mission, but the ASAP panel raised red flags about ambiguity in roles and responsibilities within the Commercial Crew Program.
NASA’s reliance on SpaceX for crew rotation flights to the International Space Station has also raised concerns. The ASP report noted that while SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft has been certified after a successful test flight, its schedule and budget pose substantial challenges to Starliner certification.
The ASAP panel urged NASA to establish clear contractual and programmatic direction regarding roles and responsibilities within the Commercial Crew Program. With the ISS slated for decommissioning in 2030, Boeing only has a contract to fly six rotational crew missions, making it uncertain whether a second provider will be available before the end of the ISS’s operational life.
President Trump confirmed that he had asked SpaceX founder Elon Musk to get the Starliner astronauts home as soon as possible. However, the exact timeline and method for their return are yet to be announced.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-02-watchdog-panel-annual-nasa-safety.html